Mail-bag



(Nd Model.) Y Sheets-Sheet 1.

-1:'. P. MGSS. MAIL BAG.

WI TJV E SSES (Nonlvrodel.) y f zsheets-sheet 2.

F. P. MOSS. Y

MAIL BAG. l No. 374,845l Patented Deo. 13, 1887.

Frank l? Mas'. v

.A UNITED STATES 'PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK P. MOSS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MAIL-BAG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 374,845, dated December 13, 1887.

Application filed November 5, 1887. Serial No. 254,387. (No model.)

To' all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, FRANK P. Moss, a citizen of therUnited States of America, residing at Philadelphia, in the countyof Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail- Bags; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact' description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to Which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or iigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Myinvention relates to certain new anduseful improvements in mail-bags; and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of the locking-head therefor, which will be more fullyhereiuafter described, and pointed out in the claims. v

The object of my invention is to provide a mail-bag which will resist undue efforts to open the same and to extract letters therefrom, the parts thereof being simple and effective in their construction and operation, strong and durable, easily handled, readily understood and operated, and cheap in manustructed of the ordinary form and material generally used, having metallic head-platesB and B, which are riveted thereto. of said plates B and B a folding metallic hinged plate, C, is secured, to which the mailf bag is also attached .by rivets, said plates C being adapted to fold inward, drawing the bag therewith.

rIhe locking-plate B is constructed with a head-plate, which provides a housing, and also with a front tag-frame, D', for the reception of destination-tags, and with a centrally-situated thereby.

Fig. 3 is a top- To each hinged key-hole plate, D, which is pivotally swung at the point d to the lower portion of the plate B. s

To the inner side of the plate B, and housed by the top cap thereof, two locking-bolts, E E, are mountedin suitable slotted guide-lugs,ee. One portion of each of the bolts E are reduced and encircled by coiled springs S, which bear against the slotted lug adjacent thereto at one side, and against the inner end of the heads'e, formed with said bolts. The extreme inner portion of each of the bolts E is formed with a downward angular extension, which is slightly enlarged, and is bent to form projections d, which extend through the plate`B on each side of the key-hole plate D, as shown in Fig. 1.

In rear of the key-hole plate D an annular plate, D2, is mounted, which contains the ordlnary locking mechanism used in connection The upper portion of the with the mail-bags. said'plate D? is formed with a bolt slot or aperture, di, which is engaged by the recessed bolt b,projecting outward at an angle from theinner side ofthe plate B. At each end of the plate B hollow bolts b' are secured,which are adapted to be pressed into the locking-plate B and be engaged by the heads e of the spring-actuated lockingbolts E. It will be observed that the plate B' is a flat plate of slightly similar proportions as regards length as the plate B, and is adapted to be pressed into the latter plate and inclosed When the said plate B is inclosed withintheplate B, thefoldingconnecting-plates C are also folded inward, carrying the portion of the bag attached thereto therewith. By this means` it will be readily understood that when the bag is locked the head will be entirely inclosed and pressed into the plate B, andv thereby resist an attempt to abstract letters from the interior of the bag, for the reason that the upper portion of the bagis en*- tirely closed and no ingress or opening left for the insertion of the hand or an instrument to obtain a grasp upon the mail Within the bag. The hinged plates C, when opened, tend to force and keep the mouth of the bag open, thereby making it convenient for depositing mail therein. When the plate B ispressed intothe locking-plate B, as hereinbefore set forth, the parts IOO are securely 1ockedtirst, at the ends,ihrough curing the recessed bolt b in the central portion of t-he plate B. The inner angular proro jecting ends of the bolts E extend through the plate B, and when the locking plate D is pressed into locking position the projecting ends d are thereby looked against movement and cannot be operated until the said key-hole plate D is released from the plate B and allowed to drop down, as shown in Fig. 3. The two projections d may then be engaged by the person unlocking the bag and pressed inward toward each other to release the ends of the plate B from connection with the ends of the bolts E. By this means it will be seen that a double lock is provided,which cannot be operated to unlooseu the head of the bag without first unlocking the key-hole plate D. This provides double security against pilfering and increases the strength and durability of the bag, and the parts being of simple construction and operation, the manufacture thereof is comparatively inexpensive. The plate B is also provided with a grip-strap, F, and with two end staples, b", the purposes and uses of which are obviously apparent.

The lock within the plate D2 may be of any preferred form of construction best adapted for the purpose.

Any minor changes which would not matcrially affect the construction ot' my improvement might be made and substituted for those shown and described without in the least departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

The utility and adaptability of my improvement being obviously apparent, it is unnecessary to enlarge upon the same herein.

I claiml. The combination, with a mail-bag, of a self-locking plate containing spring-actuated bolts and a central locking and opposingly- `and the hinged connecting-plates between the said locking-plates, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a plate forming a housing and containing spring-actuated sliding bolts and a centrally-situated positively-acting 'lock and hinged key-hole plate, tag-frames on each side of this plate, the rear opposin gl y-situated plate having hollow end staples adapted to engage with the spring-'actuated bolts in the locking-plate, the central bolt adapted to engage with the positively-acting lock centrally situated in the locking-plate, and the hinged connecting-plates between the boltplate and the locking-plate, all arranged as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of the locking-plate formed in a housing and having sliding bolts mounted on the inner side thereof with oppositely-situated heads and inner angular pro-' jecting ends which extend through the plate to the outside thereof, the hinged key-hole plate adapted to lock the inner' angular projecting ends of the said bolts, as set forth, the rear plate carrying end staples and a central bolt, and a hinged plate connecting the boltplate and the locking-plate, the said bolt-plate and hinged plates and a portion of the bag adapted to be housed within the locking-plate, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I atlx my signature iu` presence of two witnesses.

FRANK P. MOSS. Witnesses:

SAMUEL BELL, WVM. H. MERRICK. 

